“I am not suggesting in any way that he was not a fantastic talent. Anyone who voted for him as Footballer of the Year for the Football Writers or the PFA award – I don’t challenge their judgement.
“There just comes a point when, if you ask: ‘Will we miss him?’ Well, we won’t miss the worry of every week, what is going to happen next and what are the headlines going to be for all the wrong reasons.”
Scudamore denied that quotas were needed to restrict foreign players in the Premier League in order to improve the quality of English players eligible for the national team.
“You know our philosophy on this: all you are doing by imposing quotas or limits is making it easier for average people to be able to survive,” he said. “You’ve got to be good.
“Without going over old ground, we took some very talented young players – and a mix of older players – to Brazil. We took a good crop of players. Those players ought to be able to compete on a world stage.”
